Acclaimed AEW Match Nearly Didn’t Happen

There was a significant change to plans for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.

Heading into AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, some felt Swerve Strickland’s run as World Champion had been a little lackluster. Although winning the title was seen as a well-deserved accolade, there were murmurings online that Strickland was simply a placeholder champion until a bigger name such as Will Ospreay grabbed the gold.

However, following a match between the pair at the cross-promotional event, Strickland went from strength to strength until he finally lost to Bryan Danielson at All In.

In the weeks after the match it was reported that Will Ospreay offered to face Swerve Strickland and lose the bout in order to change the perception of the star. The report stated that Ospreay, who has been friends with Strickland for several years, wanted to prove to the roster that no one should be above losing to the World Champion.

According to a new report from Fightful Select, Ospreay wasn’t even Strickland’s planned opponent before he took control of the situation. The report cites New Japan Pro-Wrestling sources who claimed Yota Tsuji was in the fame to face the then-World Champion. However, there’s no word on whether these plans ever made their way to Tsuji himself.

In the end, Yota Tsuji ended up appearing on the Zero Hour pre-show teaming with Titan, and Hiromu Takahashi in defeat to Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix, and Mistico.

AEW On The Verge Of Worlds End

AEW is currently preparing for Worlds End on December 28th. The event will feature the semi-finals and final of the Continental Classic with four big names still in with a chance of walking away with the win.

In one semi-final Will Ospreay will take on Kyle Fletcher with Kazuchika Okada meeting Ricochet in the second.

Meanwhile, Jon Moxley will put the World Championship on the line against Orange Cassidy, Jay White, and Hangman Adam Page, and Mariah May will defend the Women’s World Title against Thunder Rosa in a Tijuana Street Fight. The event will also be a big rematch from Full Gear as Mercedes Mone defends the TBS Championship against Kris Statlander.